The Fire Prophecy

by Megan Linski

  Shaking off my nervous jitters, I pulled the dress up over my hips, slipped my arms under the straps, and zipped the back. When my eyes fell on myself in the mirror, my insides did a weird summersault that was a mixture of both hot damn and no thank you.

  Esis’ brows shot up, and he whistled at me.

  The hem of the dress touched the floor, but there was a slit that traveled all the way up to my hip. The front plunged to reveal more than I cared to ever show in public. If I did my hair up real nice, I’d be a knockout. But honestly, I’d spend more time worrying about a nipple slip than anything else.

  “Come on,” Imogen called when she returned. “Let’s see it.”

  “I’d rather not,” I replied.

  “Please just indulge me, Sophia,” Imogen begged.

  “Fine,” I agreed, “but I’m not buying it.”

  I quickly checked the price tag and nearly passed out. Unless it rained hundred-dollar bills from the sky, there was no way I was buying this dress. I’d barely brought that much money with me to Orenda in the first place. I wasn’t about to blow all my cash on an outfit I’d wear for only a few hours— even if it did earn Liam’s attention.

  I took a deep breath and opened the door. Esis scurried out in front of me and sang a three-note tune as if he was announcing the arrival of a queen. Imogen’s eyebrows shot up, while I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “You look hot!” she sang with a wide smile.

  I turned to the mirror, feeling incredibly self-conscious. “Do I?”

  Imogen placed the dresses in her arms down on her chair and stepped forward to peer into the mirror behind me. “Maybe if you dropped your arms I could see the full dress.”

  Nervously, I let my arms fall to my side.

  “Woop woop!” Imogen cat-called.

  I quickly glanced over at two other patrons browsing the aisles, a mother and a daughter. They both looked up and caught my eye, but then continued flipping through dresses. Imogen didn’t even notice.

  “By the ancestors, Sophia Henley has boobs!”

  “Shut up!” I swatted at Imogen with one hand and covered my cleavage with the other. “If you like it so much, you can wear it.”

  Disgust crossed Imogen’s face. “Me in that? Can you imagine? I’m not buying a dress. I’ve been working on a homemade dress for the past year. It’s going to be epic.”

  I heard the dressing room door beside mine click open, but I didn’t think anything of it. “Maybe I’ll have to make my own, too, because I’m not buying this one.”

  Someone scoffed from behind us. “Why would you?”

  I whirled around to see Haley step out of the dressing room with her phoenix Familiar behind her. She wore a strapless black evening dress that was even more revealing than the one I had on. It was accented with golden beads that twisted around the bust in an elegant pattern. And damn it, she looked freaking perfect in it. Bitch.

  “You’ll never get a chance to wear it,” Haley snarled. “You’ll die in the tournament anyway.”

  My blood boiled, and my fists tightened. I held back my anger, only to keep the dress I was wearing from bursting into flames. Beside me, Esis bared his teeth and growled.

  “What the hell’s your problem?” The words slipped out before I could stop myself. It was better than losing control of my Fire and burning Delilah’s down.

  Haley just shrugged. “No problem. I’m just stating a fact.”

  “Well, you can shove your facts right up your pretty little ass. I’ll see you at the ball.”

  My heart slammed against my rib cage. Holy crap. Had I just said that? Where the heck did those words come from?

  Haley just stood there glaring at me. I held my breath, waiting for her to throw a fireball at my head or something. Instead, she just rolled her eyes and whirled around, slamming her dressing room door behind her.

  My jaw dropped in disbelief as I turned to Imogen. I didn’t make a sound, but my face said it all. I couldn’t believe what I’d just done. Imogen let out a light squeal and threw her arms around me, squeezing me tightly.

  “I’m so proud of you!” she whispered in my ear.

  Just as we drew apart, Haley’s door swung open again. She was dressed back in her normal clothes— tight black pants and a low-cut shirt that her boobs were spilling out of. The dress she’d been wearing hung over her arm. Her lips were tight. She didn’t meet either of our eyes as she passed by, but she made it a point to step on the hem of my dress and slam her shoulder into mine. I rubbed my shoulder as Haley continued on her way, her Familiar in her wake. Then she turned back to me.

  “Oh, Sophia?” she said, like she forgot to tell me something.

  “What?” I snapped.

  Haley held her head high and glanced down at my feet. “You might want to put that out.”

  I looked down to see flames singeing the corner of my dress. Imogen and I both immediately started stomping on it. By the time the flames were out and I glanced up, Haley had already left the store.

  I gritted my teeth and turned to Imogen. “That wasn’t me, you know. That was Haley. Now I have to buy the dress.”

  “Nah, it’s fine,” Imogen said. “We’ll slip it into her dressing room and let her take the blame. It was her fault anyway.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, but—”

  “Hot. Dayum.” A female voice cut me off.

  When I turned toward the voice, I couldn’t believe my eyes. A woman with dark hair and a parrot sitting on her shoulder stared back at me. I must’ve been hallucinating or something.

  “Amelia?!” I squeaked. I forgot all about Haley and rushed forward to throw my arms around my sister. Kiwi squawked. I squeezed her as tight as I could, letting all of my overwhelmed emotions flow into the embrace. “What are you doing here?” I cried as I drew away from her, still unable to believe it.

  “I was headed to Orenda to see you, but then I saw you through the window and came in to say hi,” Amelia explained.

  “No, I mean, what are you doing here in Kinpago?” I was so excited that I pulled her into another hug.

  Amelia laughed and squeezed me back. “That’s what I was headed to Orenda to tell you about. I’m moving to town!”

  “What?” I squealed, unable to contain my excitement. I missed her so much. “Why are you moving? Tell me all about it!”

  I pulled her over to the sitting area, and we sank down next to each other. “This is Imogen, by the way, and her Familiar, Sassy.”

  Imogen smiled and reached out a hand to shake Amelia’s before sitting down. Esis hopped onto Amelia’s armrest and nuzzled his head into her hand, inviting her to pet him.

  “And this is my Familiar, Esis,” I said.

  Amelia’s expression softened, and she stared down at Esis with wide eyes. “Oh, my ancestors. He’s adorable! Can I keep him?”

  “Sorry, he’s not for sale,” I said with a laugh.

  Amelia cradled him in her arms, and Kiwi squawked again. Apparently, he didn’t like that.

  “What are you doing here, Am?” I asked again. I wanted to hear all about her journey and how long she was going to stay.

  Amelia took a deep breath. “Well, you know my job on the cruise ship?”

  I nodded eagerly. “You could’ve told me it was a flying cruise ship, by the way.”

  Amelia laughed. “Yeah, well, you wouldn’t have believed me, would you?”

  I shook my head. “Probably not.”

  “Anyway, I got a promotion, which means I get more vacation days. I have a friend who’s offered for me to crash in his guest room whenever I’m in town, until I find an apartment of my own. I’ll be here for a few days before I leave again. Then I should be back at the end of December just in time for the Elemental Cup. I guess this means you’ll be competing?” She glanced down at Esis.

  “Yes. Oh, my gosh, Amelia. There’s so much to tell you. Life has completely changed since I’ve been here. I wish I could’ve talked to you sooner. How are Mom and Dad?”
/>   Amelia didn’t look at me when she answered. “They were really upset at first, but they’ve come around. I visited them a few weeks ago and let them know I’d be coming into town soon to check on you. They won’t be happy to hear you’ll be in the tournament your first semester, but they’ll be happy you’ve bonded.”

  “I wish they could come watch,” I said sadly.

  Amelia’s expression fell. “They would if they could. Here. They asked me to give you this.” Amelia pulled a thick envelope out of her purse and handed it to me.

  “What is it?” I asked, taking it.

  Amelia shrugged. “I didn’t open it.”

  I peeled back the flap and peeked inside. My heart nearly stopped when I saw the wad of cash. With that kind of money, I’d actually be able to afford this dress— plus a new coat. A piece of paper was folded up inside. I pulled it out and began reading.

  Sophia,

  We miss you so much. We wish we could come to see you, but we fear it would cause more harm than good to visit you in Kinpago. We would not be welcome. We wish we could tell you all about it, but it’s not something we can explain in a letter. We just wanted to tell you that we’re sorry for how we acted. We never meant to push you away. We only wanted you to be safe. We wish we would’ve taken the chance to tell you goodbye before you left. We hope that everything is going well at Orenda Academy.

  With Love,

  Mom & Dad

  P.S. We know the school takes care of everything for you, but we’ve enclosed some money in case you need anything in town.

  Tears welled in my eyes. I could practically hear my parents’ voices in my head saying the words directly to me. I didn’t like that they were being distant, but right now, I hardly cared. My heart ached for home, to see them again. I quickly dashed the tears away.

  Amelia leaned forward and placed a hand on my knee. “It’s going to be okay.” She eyed me up and down. “Is this the dress you’re wearing to the ball?”

  I shook my head and forced a smile. “No. I just tried it on for fun.”

  “Good,” Amelia said. “It’s awful and so not you.”

  “What?” Imogen asked in disbelief. “It’s gorgeous.”

  “Yeah, if you’re an escort,” Amelia deadpanned.

  Imogen threw her head back and laughed. “Fair enough. What should Sophia wear?”

  A smile crept across Amelia’s face. “I know just the one.”

  Curious, I stood and followed behind Amelia as she led us down an aisle and to the other end of the shop. She pointed to a mannequin in the window. My heart lifted when I saw the dress. It was an A-line sky blue dress with a tulle skirt, flowery lace petals above the waist, and a corset back. The neckline was cut just below the collarbone, with cap sleeves that looked modest and elegant. It had an antique style to it that I knew would suit me perfectly.

  “I can’t wear that,” I said immediately, despite every muscle in my body itching to try it on.

  “Why not?” Amelia asked.

  “She’s right,” Imogen agreed, stepping forward. “It’s not sexy enough. We’re trying to impress a guy.”

  Amelia’s gaze shot to mine, her eyebrows raised. “Ooh, a guy! Why didn’t you say so?”

  She beamed at me excitedly. Would her reaction be different if she knew the guy I was crushing on wasn’t Koigni?

  “No,” I sighed. “It’s not that. The dress is too… Toaqua. Everyone’s going to expect me to arrive dressed in something like this.” I gestured down to the red dress I wore.

  Amelia pressed her lips together. “Maybe that’s exactly why you should wear the blue dress.”

  My shoulders fell. I wanted so badly to wear it, but it would only draw attention. Everyone would think I was trying to cross House boundaries or something. I had no intention of drawing anyone’s eye except for Liam’s.

  “I know you don’t have Toaqua blood in you, Sophia,” Amelia said, “but you have a Toaqua heart. You were, after all, raised by Mom and Dad.”

  “If that’s the dress you want, then get it,” Imogen encouraged. “Don’t worry about what anyone will think. Go against the grain for once.”

  A shy smile spread across my face. Why was I so worried? I ignored the stares that followed every time I was with Imogen, and her dress was bound to be wild enough to keep the eyes off of me. It was just a blue dress. It wasn’t like I was publicly disavowing my Koigni heritage.

  “Fine,” I said. “I’ll try it on.”

  After talking to the lady at the front desk, she helped us strip it off the mannequin. I returned to the dressing room and slipped it on.

  Oh, my ancestors. It was perfect. Esis quickly picked his jaw up from the floor and chippered in approval.

  “You like it, buddy?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “Can you help?” I turned my back to him and sat on the dressing room bench. Esis’ little hands tugged at the ribbon in the corset back, tightening it for me. “Thanks.”

  I stood and looked at myself in the mirror. It fit like a glove. I absolutely loved it.

  “Hurry up,” Imogen called. “Sassy’s getting antsy. She wants to see it.”

  I took a deep breath and opened the door. Amelia and Imogen both went speechless, their eyes wide.

  “It’s gorgeous on you, Sophia,” Amelia said once she found her voice. “He’s going to love it.”

  I twirled around for them, mostly to hide the blush rising in my cheeks. “You think so?”

  “Absolutely,” Imogen said. “All you need now is to ask him to the ball.”

  I immediately stopped twirling. “I’m not asking him.”

  “Why not?” Amelia asked.

  I didn’t know the answer. “Um… isn’t that his job?”

  Imogen scoffed. “This isn’t the Dark Ages, Sophia. Girls can ask guys to dances. If you want to go with him, you should ask him.”

  “Maybe…” I shrugged, enthralled by the idea but not sure I could go through with it. “I’ll think about it.”

  “So, that’s the one?” Amelia asked.

  My heart fluttered. “It’s the one.”

  “Cool. So, what are your plans for the rest of the day? I was hoping we could go out for lunch and catch up,” Amelia said.

  “That sounds like fun,” I agreed. “Are you coming, Imogen?”

  “Nah,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I’ll go find Cade and we’ll hang out.”

  “In that case, have lots of fun,” I told her. “Don’t go too crazy.”

  Imogen rolled her eyes. “Girl, I’m way past crazy. But you already knew that. I’ll see you later.”

  Imogen left the shop while I headed into the dressing room and put my normal clothes back on. Amelia, Esis, and Kiwi followed me up to the register, where I pulled out a few of the bills my parents had given me and handed them to the cashier. Luckily, the dress was far cheaper than the red one— and twenty-five percent off. I loved a good deal. I usually only bought things when they were on clearance, anyhow. The lady behind the counter placed the dress on a hanger and in a long plastic bag for me. I draped it over my arm as we left Delilah’s.

  “So, tell me what you’ve been up to,” Amelia encouraged as we headed down the street toward the square.

  “I don’t know,” I said with a sigh. “Mostly going to class, studying, training for the tournament. But we have more important things to talk about, don’t we?”

  Amelia plastered a look of innocence on her face. “No. I don’t think so.”

  “Am...” I frowned. “You obviously know more about this prophecy and what happened with Mom and Dad than you’re saying.”

  Amelia didn’t meet my gaze. “What do you know about it?”

  “Not much,” I admitted. “The prophecy may or may not be a myth. If it’s true, it apparently has something to do with me. According to Doya, Mom and Dad stole me as a baby. Oh, and I’m supposed to be looking for some magical object I know nothing about?”

  Crap. I wasn't supposed to men
tion that… but this was Amelia. I could trust her.

  Amelia whirled toward me, stopping in her tracks. “Listen to me, Sophia. You’re wrong. About everything. Mom and Dad didn’t kidnap you. They adopted you. Whatever it is you think you’re looking for, you need to stop.”

  I gaped at her. “Am…”

  “Doya’s just trying to get in your head,” she insisted. “Really. Just ignore this prophecy thing, and you’ll be okay.”

  Amelia started down the street again, obviously unwilling to say more, but I couldn’t bring my feet to move beneath me. I knew I could trust Amelia with my life, but something told me she wasn’t being entirely honest with me.

  I felt like I was being a wimp, but the day of our last training session, I was nervous. We had to get this one right. If we messed up today, it would mean our performance in the tournament would be a disaster. Baine had already told us that students who failed the final evaluation before the Elemental Cup always lost at least one to three people in the tournament.

  I didn’t want to lose anybody. Which meant we had to do good today.

  I stopped at the Koigni dorms an hour early to pick up Sophia. Usually I’d still be in bed, but I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept having messed up dreams about Sophia. They started out good… really good… but then they always ended with her being crushed under a pile of rocks.

  Obviously, I wasn’t about that life, so I’d stayed up most of the night weaving baskets trying to calm myself down, and trying to talk myself out of sneaking into the Koigni dorms just to see if she was really okay.

  “Esis wouldn’t let anything happen to her,” I muttered to myself. I didn’t know what the little fur ball would do, or could do if Sophia got into trouble, but he cared about Sophia just as much and probably even more than I did, so it comforted me a little.

  Finally, she walked out of the Koigni dorms in an oversized knitted sweater and thick jeans with hiking boots. Esis was bundled up in her arms, wearing a tiny wool hat and gloves. The sight of her safe and well killed my anxiety attack instantly.